Flexible packaging is well known in the art for use in containing food products. Flexible films can provide a lightweight package with a substantially hermetic seal for shipping and storage of a variety of food products, including, for example, crackers, chewing gum, chocolate, cookies, cheese, sandwiches, biscuits, candy, meat products, and dried fruits and vegetables. Some of these flexible film packages also may contain structural supports, such as a frame or tray.
One example of such flexible film packages are flow-wrap type packages, which may employ a continuous film or web to envelop a product during assembly or formation of the package. Flow-wrap packages may include, for example, horizontal or vertical fin seal or lap seal packages, end seal wrap, horizontal bagging and pillow-pouch packaging. In one configuration, flow-wrap packaging positions a flexible film (such as polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polypropylene), adjacent a product, wraps the film around the product, forms a seal from the ends or edges of the film, and then forms seals at either end of the product. These seals may be permanent and also may provide some structural integrity. Flexible film packages have other advantages. For example, they can be manufactured at substantially lower cost than rigid containers, are lightweight (resulting in lower transportation costs), and can reduce space required for storage.
Despite the advantages of flexible film, these packages are sometimes difficult for consumers to open. Further, these packages often contain various amount of food product, and a consumer may not want to consume all of the food product at one time. Therefore, a reclose feature may be included to provide users with an easy, efficient manner of preserving some of the food product for a later time. The reclose feature may provide a partial barrier to moisture and gas resulting in a partially hermetic seal, though it may not provide a complete hermetic seal, and may help to retain the shelf-life or freshness of a food product contained within the package.
The flexible packages that have a resealable or reclosure feature are sometimes difficult to manufacture on equipment that is widely available. For example, some flexible film packages may require specialized die assemblies or heat seal bars to produce the seals, package openings, and other package features related to the reclose feature. Another drawback with the manufacture of some flexible packages is the common requirement of precisely calibrated manufacturing equipment. For example, packages and processes that employ a pattern-applied adhesive may require specialized equipment that may need to be properly calibrated. As another example, some laminate structures may employ partial depth die cuts from both the interior and exterior surface of the laminate structure, which increases the complexity of the equipment. These processes also may require very precise registration of the package elements to ensure the consumer is able to easily and reliably open the package and also to ensure proper closure or sealing of the flexible package.
In addition, previous package designs also tend to require additional package material to accommodate the equipment and various manufacture and consumer specifications. This extra film or other material (such as a label backing) often resulted in costly waste, which increases the cost of the packages.